Fired Tsukuba professor’s defense

Mizubayashi and Akahira reply: The University of Tsukuba finds no reason to alter its position that Teruji Cho’s conduct in the preparation of the PRL paper ¹ constitutes scientific misconduct (Physics Today, February 2009, page 12 ). Cho claims that any error or insufficiency in the PRL paper is inadvertent and innocuous. The Investigation Committee, which included three internationally known plasma physics experts from outside the university, did not find them so after a fair and thorough investigation.

Cho also claims that the Physics of Plasmas paper explains any deficiencies, ² and furthermore reaches the same conclusion as the PRL paper. It is our view that the PoP paper, which was submitted after the investigation started and without Cho’s giving notice to the Investigation Committee, cannot be used to judge whether Cho carried out scientific misconduct in the preparation of the PRL paper. Needless to say, the conclusion of a paper reached through misconduct is meaningless.

Cho has brought a civil suit against the University of Tsukuba. We are confident that the court will fully sustain the university’s position on this issue.